MAP04: The Lowest Pit (Strife: Absolute Order)

MAP04: The Lowest Pit is the third map of Strife: Absolute Order. It was designed by Adam Woodmansey (Khorus) and uses his own custom music track, referred to internally as.

This level is accessed from MAP02: Sweetwater and is part of a hub, so if you leave this level and return then your progress will be remembered.

Essentials
ID badge

Destroy or avoid the crusader ahead of you - it does not matter if you set the alarm off now, as this will happen when you leave the room. Go north-west through a small doorway and follow the gray path past three Order banners - a mini-missile launcher can be found in front of the second one. You will arrive at a room with poisonous green water guarded by four sentinels and a crusader, plus other enemies on higher skill levels.

Head north-west from this room and follow the passage until you see a staircase on the right - climb it and press the button at the end of this path to open a doorway ahead. Go back down the stairs and turn right, to find the doorway guarded by a ceiling turret. Head through the door to a fenced area, defeat the acolytes and the reaver, then take the blue ID badge from the table along with the other supplies.

Exit

Backtrack to the starting area, watching out for enemies that have teleported in. When you return to the starting room, leave by the south-west exit and follow the path to an open area with a red bridge over poison water. Keep following the gray path south into a dark passage, and follow it until you see a silver pipe over a round hole. Climb up the stairs here and go north to a ledge overlooking the bridge - pull the switch here to open a doorway at the west end of the bridge, then collect the supplies here before dropping into the water and jumping on to the bridge. Head west through the open door, then turn left to see a crusader on a ledge. Destroy the crusader then head over the platform and jump up the steps to the button here. Press it to open the way ahead.

Drop into the poison water and head round to the west side of the brick bridge, using the lift here to climb to the upper floor. Collect the items here, including an accuracy upgrade, then jump north to land on the silver pipe. Follow this pipe west through the caves until you reach a dead end, then head south and follow the waters down to dry land. Keep heading south to find a button surrounded by several items; when you press the button, you will be ambushed by several teleporting enemies. When they are all dead, the nearby bars will open - go through them, take the gold and other items and then step into the teleporter.

The teleporter will send you to a room adjoining the starting area. Destroy the sentinels, then either pull the switch here to open the door back to the rest of the level, or head towards the north door to return to MAP02: Sweetwater.

Other points of interest
From the starting area, open the silver door in the south-west corner. Behind it is a room with a medical kit, a box of bullets, electric bolts and 25 gold.

Secrets

 * 1) Near the end of the level, after stepping off the silver pipe you will go through several poison water pools to reach dry land. Just before stepping down to the land you will see a tiny ledge between two rivers; stand on this stone then jump to the silver pipe nearby. Follow the pipe south until you are blocked by a stalactite; look right to see a nook with a box of bullets, a med patch and mini-missiles. (sector 635)
 * 2) In the area with the red bridge, there is a ledge to the south with a switch that opens the door to the west. On the west side of this ledge you will see a medical kit in front of a rock wall. Jump on to the rock ledge and walk through the false wall to find an accuracy upgrade. (sector 694)

Current records
The records for the map at the Doomed Speed Demos Archive are:

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:

Trivia
The bars blocking the teleporter to the exit all have action special 70, which is used for teleports in Hexen-format maps. The bars have no corresponding teleport destination or target sector, so stepping through them does nothing.